From narrative to action in Hannah Arendt

towards an ethical dimension of narr[a]tivity

Abstract

This article aims to explore a possible ethical-political dimension of narr[a]tivity in Hannah Arendt. To this end, the guiding questions are: is there a gap between discourse and narrative in Arendt’s work? How would the transition from narrative to action take place, and why does storytelling transform into an ethical dimension of narr[a]tivity? In this direction, we will approach narrative as the intersubjective constitution of narr[a]tivity. In attempting to answer these questions, we seek to understand what distinguishes narrative from discourse in Arendt’s writings, considering narrative as a medium that grants durability to events which, between life and death, are brief, ephemeral, and momentary, and can only be converted into stories at the conclusion of action. We designate narr[a]tivity as the web of human relationships that, given the transitory fragility of actions and discourses, renders stories a kind of exercise that endures through time, while we refer to the ethical dimension as the desire with each new beginning and without predictable outcomes to shed light on the thoughts of those who listen and act in their free responsibility to continue, out of love, to care for the world.